The present invention relates to the technical field of spray devices suitable for being taken hold of and manipulated in the hand by a user who can act on a manual control member to spray the liquid or fluid contained in the tank, for example a perfume.
The present invention relates to a spray device suitable for being taken hold of and manipulated in the hand, comprising a tank of liquid to be sprayed and a spray system comprising a spray orifice, pump means, and a manual spray-control member.
In the specific field of perfumery, the oldest and simplest apparatuses for dispensing perfumes made use of a simple flask provided with a single top opening closed by a removable stopper, specifically by screw engagement. Perfume is applied by wetting the stopper in the perfume and in applying the stopper to the skin at the location selected by the user. Such devices suffer from known drawbacks associated with their limited suitability for transport and their poor hermetic sealing which is harmful both for transport and also for proper conservation of the specific characteristics of the perfume.
The conservation of perfumery products was improved by the arrival of apparatuses comprising a flask provided with a dispensing system implementing so-called xe2x80x9cbulb pumpsxe2x80x9d. Perfume is distributed by a xe2x80x9cVenturixe2x80x9d type system that is not leakproof, and that requires the user to press several times on the bulb pump in order to cause perfume to be expelled in the form of a jet. Those apparatuses are likewise difficult to transport because of their poor sealing. They also suffer from drawbacks in use associated with the relatively sudden expulsion of perfume which in turn implies that perfume tends to be over-consumed.
That is why there has been further technical progress with perfume dispenser apparatuses, mainly in order to control expulsion and dispensing into air of the perfume while improving their suitability for transport. Thus, perfume dispenser systems have appeared which use a flask that serves as a perfume tank, said flask being associated with a gas under pressure (aerosol) for carrying the perfume via a valve so that it leaves the flask in the form of a spray. Such systems have naturally contributed to improving the suitability for transport of perfume flasks designed on that principle because they provide good sealing. However, such apparatuses contribute to increasing the total volume of the device since an auxiliary volume of gas is required and, particularly with flasks that are going to be transported, that constitutes a drawback because of the associated bulk. Furthermore, it turns out that using a gas under pressure to carry a perfume causes the liquid that is to be distributed to accelerate hard, and a relatively large quantity of perfume to be expelled on each squirt. The quantity of perfume used for each squirt is thus relatively large, and in general that is not appreciated by the user. Similarly, environmental protection constraints are factors which limit good acceptance of such apparatuses by consumers because they emit harmful gases into the atmosphere.
Consequently, perfume dispensing devices have been further developed, making use as in all of the above-described apparatuses of a flask provided with an opening in its top portion, which opening receives a spray system having a spray orifice, pump means, and a manual spray-control member. In those apparatuses, the pump means is a pump of conventional type operating by compression and suction with the help of a resilient assembly responsive to the effect of pressure exerted on the manual control member, the pump being connected to the liquid via a dip tube extending over the full height of the storage flask. Spraying is thus normally performed with the spray system situated on top of the perfume tank, the user manipulating the flask with one hand only and pressing on the manual control member with the index finger. Each finger press causes a quantity of perfume to be sprayed, and release of the manual control member sucks in liquid and simultaneously causes the volume of liquid that has been sprayed to be replaced by an equivalent volume of air via the body of the pump.
Spray devices designed on that principle generally give satisfaction, are easy to transport because they are of a design that provides good sealing, and are suitable for being operated comfortably in a manner that is generally appreciated by the user. Nevertheless, such devices suffer from various drawbacks. Firstly, it turns out that the presence of a spray system at the top of the flask gives rise to a series of technical constraints and in particular to the existence of a pushbutton in the top portion of the flask which means that there must be a closure system at this location. In addition to its unattractive appearance, the presence of the closure system constrains the ways in which the flask can be designed. Furthermore, the presence of a dip tube in the flask, in terms of appearance, constitutes an element that is unfavorable to the overall perception of the spray device, unless the spray device is made to be opaque. If it is opaque, then the general display options for the spray device are likewise limited to options in which the liquid cannot be seen directly, and that too can be a factor that is not appreciated by the potential purchaser. Furthermore, the existence of a dip tube usually means that it is difficult to extract all of the liquid when only a small quantity of liquid remains level with the end of the dip tube. Finally, it turns out that the presence of a spray system at the top of a flask or spray device not only limits the ways in which the device can be handled, but also limits options for presentation and three-dimensional configuration of the device by requiring the top portion of the device to have a spray system that is necessary for spraying purposes.
Consequently, the invention seeks to remedy the various drawbacks mentioned above, and to propose a novel spray device suitable for being held and manipulated in the hand, that is of novel design, and of improved configuration.
Another object of the invention is to propose a novel spray device suitable for leading to new presentation options that are partially attractive.
Another object of the invention is to propose a novel spray device of design that is particularly simple and that operates in leakproof manner.
Another object of the invention is to propose a novel spray device which is particularly ergonomic to hold, manipulate, and use.
Another object of the invention is to provide a novel spray device whose operation is particularly safe and reliable.
A further object of the invention seeks to propose a novel spray device which is particularly suited to spraying perfume.
The objects of the invention are achieved by means of a spray device suitable for being taken hold of and manipulated in the hand, the device comprising a tank of fluid to be sprayed and a spray system comprising a spray orifice, pump means, and a manual spray-control member, wherein the tank is associated via its bottom portion with a base, the spray system being integrated in the base and being designed in such a manner as to make it possible, in the normal operating position, for the fluid to be sprayed by using the spray system situated beneath the tank.